Lacing hook and guard.



No. 791,482. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905. J. MEANS.

LAGING HOOK AN-D GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29,1904.

Witnesses:

Pkt tomelf s.

Patented June 6, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

. JAY MEANS, or PONTIAC, ILLINOIS.

"LACING HOOK AND GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,482, dated June 6, 1905. Application filed June 29,1904:- Serial No. 214,681.

To all whom it may concern. I

. Be it known that I, JAY MEANS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pontiac, in the county of Livingston and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Lacing Hook and Guard, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined lacing hook and guard.

The object of the invention is in a ready, simple, and thoroughly practical manner to prevent a shoe-lacing from untying and its ends from dangling about the shoe, and thus presenting an unsightly appearance.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same. consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a combined lacing hook and guard, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,'and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, there are illustrated two forms of embodiment of the invention, each capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it

being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of theupper portion of a shoe, showing the device of the present invention attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view of the combined hook and guard shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a sectional detail View showing the lacing-hook provided with a composition head or facing.

The invention embodies a plate 1, provided on its sides and one end with attaching-prongs 2 and on its upper side with a guard 3 and a lacing-hook 4, all of the parts being made integral and formed by being stamped from any suitable metal. In the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the head of the hook may, if preferred, have combined with it a composition face 4:, as shown in Fig. 3 and as is common with devices of this character; but, if preferred, it

may be left in its natural state, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The guard 3 is formed by separating the tongue from the plate and then flexing it upward or away from the plate and then bending it into a compound curve, the terminal of the guard being disposed away from the plate to present a throat which will facilitate the insertion of the lacing between it and the plate; but the guard as a whole is disposed sufficiently close to the plate to exert the requisite pressure upon the lacing to hold it from working loose. The bulge 5, formed by the upturned terminal, will operate to force the lacing down into the slot 6, formed by the tongue, and thus clamp the lacing therein and hold it securely in place.

The hook is disposed transversely of the plate thus to bring it into proper position to receive the lacing and to accord with the other hooks on the shoe, and the inner wall of its neck 7 is rounded, as usual, to prevent wear of the lacing through the frictional contact therewith. In attaching this form of device to ashoe the prongs are forced through the upper and are then clenched on the inner side thereof, and when positioned the guard is disposed approximately parallel with the edge of the fly and the hook is disposed at approximate right angles to the said edge.

In use of the device after the lacing has been passed around the hooks 4, of which there will be at least two arranged in alinement on the opposite sides of the upper, the lacing is tied, as usual, and the ends adjacent to the knot are passed under the guards, which will serve tightly to clamp them in position. If preferred, the lacing may be turned around the guards one or more times.

In both forms of embodiment of the invention the guard is so disposed with relation to the plate as to obviate the presentation of an obstruction upon which garments would catch,

and this feature is also obtained by having the terminals of the guards disposed upward.

It will. be seen from the foregoing description that although the devices of this invention are exceedingly simple of construction they will be found of the highest efiiciency and durability in use and may be cheaply and readily manufactured and applied to a shoe without materially increasing its cost.

Having thus described the invention, what 5 is claimed is The combination with a shoe-upper, of a combined lacing hook and guard comprising, in an integral structure, a plate having its edges formed with attaching-prongs, a guard 10 arranged in parallelism with the edge of the fly, and a lacing-hook extending from one side of the plate and projecting at approximate right angles to the fly and having its free end located over the fixed end of the guard.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 5 my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAY MEANS.

Witnesses:

HENRY O. HoBBs, M. H. ROOT. 

